Crews work to stomp out Foxborough Fire

October 22, 2008 12:00:00 AM PDT

FONTANA, Calif. --

Fire crews worked to stomp out the Foxborough Fire in the midst of strong winds. The brushfire was spotted near Foxborough Drive and Stageline Lane in San Bernardino County at about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Voluntary evacuations were in place as a wildfire burned at least 250 acres in hot and gusty weather in San Bernardino County. Temperatures were expected to hit 90 degrees, and along with strong winds, it created very dangerous fire conditions.

By 8 a.m., weak wisps of smoke were all that was visible and containment was at 60 percent. Ground crews watched for any flare-ups, and due to the winds, fire officials were cautious not to give the impression that all was safe.

"Anytime we have the winds blowing this hard and the humidity's down low, all it takes is one little ember coming out of the fire area and getting into some fuels, and it would start this thing running again," said firefighter Glenn Barley.

Flames had been visible from many residents' yards in Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga, as winds pushed the fire west into the mountains and canyons of Rancho Cucamonga.

"People walked up and started pounding on our doors about an hour ago. We didn't know what was going on," resident Carol Hansen said early Wednesday morning.

About 300 firefighters were out on the lines battling the fire, and crews waited for sunrise to make air water drops. As soon as there was light, firefighters were quickly able to gain the upper hand on the wildfire.

The fire was not an immediate threat to homes, but the conditions were not favorable for firefighters. The area is notorious for strong winds, and Wednesday was exceptionally windy.

Resident Jesse Webb knows all about strongs winds, so when he was asked to evacuate, he did. He said he remembered the Grand Prix Fire that destroyed some 135 homes five years ago.

"It was pretty scary that morning too," Webb said.

This is the five-year anniversary of the Grand Prix Fire that burned nearly 60,000 acres in the same area. No one was killed in that fire, but it took about 2,000 firefighters to extinguish that massive blaze.

"I was really, really petrified. And, my kids were crying and that always hurts you. When you're trying to run around and get your family and your belonging evacuated and your children are just distraught and so scared. So, that was just awful," said Paola Yanez, an evacuee of Wednesday morning's fire.

Yanez had to evacuate during the Grand Prix Fire as well.

This time, she went to a friend's house just five miles away and watched as the fire crept closer and closer to her home.

"At one point we just saw this big plume of black smoke and it just looked like it was here. And we were just so afraid. We thought for sure it was going to be one of our homes in the neighborhood. I think that was probably the first time that I really felt this could really be our home. All of our belongings could just be gone," said Yanez.

No homes were destroyed and no one was hurt in Wednesday's fire.

"When we have conditions like this, we'll actually go down and we will have individuals on their hands and knees actually going around and making sure everything is cold. We do that to make sure that no firebrands or embers get away or get on the other side of the line that we've established around the fire itself," said Chon Bribiescas, U.S. Forest Service.

Authorities believe fireworks may have been the cause of the blaze.

If convicted, those responsible could face punishment including the cost of fighting the fire, which could be $100,000.